Pinckney lends Flint a helping hand

Nick Hanshue was among those volunteering to load donated water into a rental truck to be delivered to those in need in Flint as part of a "Fill-the-Bus with Fresh Water Drive."(Photo: Gillis Benedict/Livingston Daily)Buy Photo

Saturday dozens of people came to Pathfinder School in Hamburg Township between 10 a.m. and 2 p.m. to donate bottled water for Flint residents.

A last-minute water drive was taken on by Pinckney Community Schools after a teacher, who happens to live in Flint, thought the drive, called the Fill-the-Bus with Fresh Water Drive, would be a good idea to help others in need outside the community.

People from the school district and community donated bottled water at Pathfinder, where it was placed on a bus that was driven to Flint. The water was delivered to an organization called Mission of Hope, which is dedicated to distributing safe drinking water to families in Flint. The organization also serves as a homeless shelter and provides other critical services to the Flint community.

Flint families had an emergency declared in the city after water drawn from the Flint River leached lead from old plumbing for months.

Flint switched its drinking water from the Detroit system to the Flint River in April 2014 to save money.

However, the city then returned to Detroit water in October after testing detected increased lead levels in residential water supplies in children's blood. Lead can cause permanent brain damage, leading to behavior problems and learning disabilities.

"In Pinckney, there is a strong community commitment, and the kids constantly learn about giving back and giving to others in need, so I think that message is important to take away from this," said Deanne Norris, Positive Pinckney marketing team member. "Right now, Flint needs our help, and the kids realized that."